Energy Awareness Month
What are your students doing to celebrate Energy Awareness Month?
Each year, the U.S. Department of Energy designates October as Energy Awareness Month. This is a perfect opportunity to reflect on how we generate, use, and save energy every day. Since it also happens to be Halloween season, we’re adding a little playful twist—because energy education should be anything but scary!
Explore resources that will help your students unmask energy mysteries, chase away “phantom” electricity use, and power up their knowledge with hands-on activities.
Celebrate Energy Awareness Month by learning more about how you use energy and how to make your energy choices more energy efficient!
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- Spine-chilling weather lurks around the corner which is a great time to investigate the science behind heat transfers into and out of a system, as well as to conduct a school energy audit! Students can take an energy audit of their home and share the results.
- Elementary Level – School Energy Inspectors
- Intermediate Level – School Energy Experts and Building Science
- Secondary Level – School Energy Managers
- Managing Home Energy Use (Grades 3-12)
Managing Home Energy Use is an at-home supplement to NEED’s School Energy curriculum guides. These activities follow the same six-lesson format as the in-school guides, and expand upon the energy efficiency and conservation knowledge gained while using the home as the learning laboratory.
- Spine-chilling weather lurks around the corner which is a great time to investigate the science behind heat transfers into and out of a system, as well as to conduct a school energy audit! Students can take an energy audit of their home and share the results.
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- Have students build an energy house to conceptualize insulation, conservation and diminishing returns.
- Teach and read about energy with NEED’s Energy Booklist. This list provides multi-level energy related non-fiction and fiction literature for students.
- The Energy Expo was created to provide students with an expanded opportunity to learn about energy efficiency technologies while improving research and presentation skills.
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- Investigate the use of appliances and machines through a data-driven investigative unit. Sink your teeth into our Plug Loads unit to teach about phantom loads, otherwise known as vampire power, to explain electricity consumed by an appliance or device that is plugged into an outlet but not currently “on”. Allows students to look closely at how pluggable devices are used at home and school– and how they can affect the utility bill.
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- Have the whole class sign the Energy Conservation Contract to pledge to be more efficient about energy use at home and on the road!
NEED’s Spooky House Saver graphic includes energy saving tips to cut costs from utility bills!
Wicked Fun Energy Awareness Games and Activities
- Energy Bingo makes an excellent icebreaker! These energy vocabulary and fact bingos also make excellent formative assessments. NEED Bingos are quick to prepare, and take 20-45 minutes to play, depending on the students and set-up you choose. Download and play today!
- Get your sweet tooth ready by playing “Candy Collector” in NEED’s Energy Games and Icebreakers guide to introduce the terms renewable and nonrenewable while providing a closer look at how these energy sources will last.
- “This Week in Energy Conservation” in NEED’s Energy Games and Icebreakers guide is designed as a television show with student-correspondents reporting on a variety of energy conservation topics. This activity will introduce students to ways of saving energy both in the home and on the road.
- Energy on Stage features a “Harry Spotter and the Chamber of Myths” play for students learn about wind turbines. “Harry Spotter and the Quest for the Right Light” is a fun way to learn about energy efficient lighting.
- Make a solar oven to roast pumpkin seeds, radiant into thermal energy! Printable directions here or follow along with video directions.
- Learn about energy sources and carve or paint your favorite! Energy Source Pumpkin Templates.
- PUMPKIN POWER! Directions here.
- Download NEED’s coloring sheets! Including fun Halloween-themed sheets to learn about energy sources.
Energy Awareness Month activities are perfect submissions for the Youth Awards Program
(Project submissions are due April 15th each year).
No bones about it, NEED has you covered when it comes to helping your little ghouls understand the importance of energy!
Here are some more great places to look for energy information this month:
U.S. Department of Energy
Energy Information Administration State Profiles
Energy Information Administration Kid’s Page